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Honoring your ancestors

Ashoka

श्री कृष्णा शरणं मम
Does your faith practice honoring your ancestors? Why or why not?

There are for sure some ancestors of mine that don't deserve honor, but the ones I do venerate are my great grandma and my aunt. Both of them, I personally believe, watch over me.

Just curious to see how others view their ancestors ^_^
 

Gargovic Malkav

Well-Known Member
Does your faith practice honoring your ancestors? Why or why not?

There are for sure some ancestors of mine that don't deserve honor, but the ones I do venerate are my great grandma and my aunt. Both of them, I personally believe, watch over me.

Just curious to see how others view their ancestors ^_^

Personally I don't know much about my family tree.
In my belief system I also have no reason to venerate my ancestors in a religious manner as that would be a form of idolatry.
Also, I find it difficult to judge which ancestors are "worthy" based on my own idea of morality.
This would only make sense if I consider myself morally perfect, but since I'm someone who appreciates humility, I have no reason to have such a high opinion of myself.

That said, I can understand why my mom left my dad, but I can also understand why I seem to be wired in a way that makes me see how I am like my dad in ways...
 

Truth in love

Well-Known Member
Does your faith practice honoring your ancestors? Why or why not?

There are for sure some ancestors of mine that don't deserve honor, but the ones I do venerate are my great grandma and my aunt. Both of them, I personally believe, watch over me.

Just curious to see how others view their ancestors ^_^

We put a lot of stock in their value.

We don't pray to them or build them shrines.

We do try to remember them and their sacrifices. Consistent with the Bible's teachings we also provide ordinances for those who did not get them in mortal life. They are free to accept or reject this offer.
 

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
Not much in my version of Hinduism. People often do an annual puja on the death anniversary of their parents, but it goes no further than that. Believing in reincarnation, most ancestors will be back by now. My blood ancestors were a part of an attempted genocide of the aggressive side, so not much to be proud of. Inner ancestors were on the other side of an attempted genocide, so I'm glad they survived.
 

sun rise

The world is on fire
Premium Member
I'm grateful to my parents for having put up with me because I was a spoiled monster when I was younger and especially as an adolescent. I'm appreciative for having been born into a Jewish family so that many decades later I learned to appreciate the Kabbalah. But I don't venerate or worship them.
 

SalixIncendium

अग्निविलोवनन्दः
Staff member
Premium Member
I don't have a "faith."

I don't honor my ancestors. I don't see a point, other than attachment to the vyavaharika.
 

Audie

Veteran Member
We put a lot of stock in their value.

We don't pray to them or build them shrines.

We do try to remember them and their sacrifices. Consistent with the Bible's teachings we also provide ordinances for those who did not get them in mortal life. They are free to accept or reject this offer.
The Bible teaches to have the most extreme disrespect for the vast majority of your ancestors.
 

SalixIncendium

अग्निविलोवनन्दः
Staff member
Premium Member
Again, we think, "seriously" but whatevs.



Denies the existence of anyone prior to A and E.

Who is "we?"

Your response implies you accept the Genesis as written in the OT. Can we move forward with this implication?
 

Audie

Veteran Member
Who is "we?"

Your response implies you accept the Genesis as written in the OT. Can we move forward with this implication?
Our usage of the Royal we is not to
be questioned.
The OT genesis account, like the rest of said
book means whatever a person chooses to think it says.
That long held majority view of creation
denies a lot of ancestors' existence.

Those latter points you well know.
The first, you now know.
 

Sand Dancer

Crazy Cat Lady
Does your faith practice honoring your ancestors? Why or why not?

There are for sure some ancestors of mine that don't deserve honor, but the ones I do venerate are my great grandma and my aunt. Both of them, I personally believe, watch over me.

Just curious to see how others view their ancestors ^_^

How would one do that? I do genealogy and try to find pictures and stories about previous generations. Is that it or is there more?
 

Ashoka

श्री कृष्णा शरणं मम
How would one do that? I do genealogy and try to find pictures and stories about previous generations. Is that it or is there more?

That's one way to do it, yes :) There are other things people can do; I usually visit their graves and leave offerings for them.
 

CharmingOwl

Member
In my practice we actually believe in actual ancestral spirits who either follow us or interact with us from the spirit world / yomi/ underworld. The ancestors are given offerings of water/liquor/coffee/food so they have energy to interact with the land of the living to help us, interact with deities for us, and provide protection from curses, evil spirits and ghosts.
 

Saint Frankenstein

Wanderer From Afar
Premium Member
Not so much blood relatives (which doesn't mean much of anything to me, anyway) but we venerate our brothers and sisters in Christ who have fallen asleep in friendship with the Lord. It's called the communion of Saints. Christians are a spiritual family and death can't separate us. We do pray for the souls of our deceased loved ones, though, that God may have mercy on them and grant them the vision of His radiant glory.
 

Bree

Active Member
Does your faith practice honoring your ancestors? Why or why not?

There are for sure some ancestors of mine that don't deserve honor, but the ones I do venerate are my great grandma and my aunt. Both of them, I personally believe, watch over me.

Just curious to see how others view their ancestors ^_^

No.

Reason being is that once a person is deceased, they are no longer conscious so giving them gifts and praying to them as some do, is of no benefit.

Understanding what happens to the dead and what prospects they have in the future is the only thing that benefits the living.
 

PearlSeeker

Well-Known Member
Does your faith practice honoring your ancestors? Why or why not?

There are for sure some ancestors of mine that don't deserve honor, but the ones I do venerate are my great grandma and my aunt. Both of them, I personally believe, watch over me.

Just curious to see how others view their ancestors ^_^
Catholic Church has All Hallows' Day (1 November) and All Souls' Day (2 November). In my country we also have a national holiday (a secular version of the same) called "the day of the remembrance of the dead" (also on 1 November).

To sum up, all people visit the graves and light a candle. Catholics also pray for ancestors.
 
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